'' (
1971 ) is a
Horror Film starring
Vincent Price . Its stunning art deco sets, dark humor and "over the top" performance by Vincent Price has made the film and its sequel ''
Dr. Phibes Rises Again '' "
Camp " classics.
Anton Phibes, famous
Organist with doctorates in Music and Theology, was thought to have been killed in a car crash while rushing to the side of his ill wife. He was in fact horribly
Disfigured but survived only to discover his wife had died on the operating table. Phibes, convinced that his lovely wife was a victim of incapable
Doctors , spends the next several years planning his
Vendetta against those who operated on his wife.
Inspector Trout suspects Phibes, but finds little support from
Scotland Yard as Phibes is believed dead. Trout is also hindered by the incompetence of his police force. Eventually Dr. Versalius, head of the team of doctors that operated on Phibes's wife, begins to believe inspector Trout is right and aids him in the hunt for Phibes.
Dr. Phibes kills seven doctors and the head nurse with the help of his silent attractive female assistant Vulnavia (played by actress Virginia North). He has reserved the worst punishment for Dr. Vesalius. He kidnaps the doctor's son and places him on a table on which a container full of acid is waiting to disfigure the boy's face. A small key implanted near the boy's heart will free him. Versalius will need all his skill to operate and free his son. As Vesalius arrives, he learns he has only six minutes to operate on his son and to save him from the acid before he has a face like Phibes before him. The operation succeeds and the acid instead strikes Vulnavia.
Convinced he has accomplished his vendetta, Phibes retreats to a stone
Sarcophagus beside the
Embalmed Corpse of his wife. As he drains out his own blood and replaces it with embalming fluid the coffin's inlaid stone lid slides into place, concealing them both in darkness. Trout and the police arrive and discover that Phibes has mysteriously disappeared. Trout and Vesalius recall that the "final curse" was darkness, but they haven't a clue what it means, except that perhaps they will encounter Phibes again.
Dr. Phibes cleverly takes his inspiration for the murders from
The Bible , specifically the
Ten Plagues Of Egypt .
#: stung to death by bees (not shown on screen, only referred to during film) (boils)
#: mauled to death by bats (bats)
#: head crushed by a mechanical mask of a frog (frogs)
#: all the blood drained out of his body (blood)
#: frozen to death by a machine spewing ice (hail)
#: blown up in a rat infested plane (rats)
#: impaled by a brass unicorn head (beasts)
#: eaten by locusts (locusts)
#: Killed by acid meant for Dr. Versalius' son Lem (death of the first born)
#: injected embalming fluid into his own body while draining the blood from it (darkness)
- Robert Fuest rewrote most of the original screenplay. One of the few scenes to remain as scripted was one in which Trout consults a rabbi and first learns of the curses. Some original plot lines and sequences that were altered or eliminated:
- ---Phibes was to be much more violent and unlikeable in the script, abusing Vulnavia, smashing furniture, etc. It was decided to make the character more sympathetic.
- --- The victim of the plague of rats was to be attacked on a boat rather than in a plane. It was changed as most people's reaction was, "Why couldn't he just jump off the boat?"
- --- Vulnavia was going to be revealed as another one of Phibes' clockwork devices (he has a clockwork band called "Dr. Phibes' Clockwork Wizards.")
- ---Phibes was originally to kill Vulnavia and then escape his house (which was to catch fire) in a hot air balloon with Victoria's body.
- In order for Joseph Cotten to know his cues, Phibes' dialogue was read aloud by a crew-member.
- Price commented that Cotten was uncomfortable doing these scenes, so he intentionally pulled a lot of faces to crack him up.
- Vincent Price went through hours of make up, which often had to be reapplied as he kept laughing.
- The name "Vesalius" is a reference to Andreas Vesalius , a Flemish scientist who cut up corpses to learn about the workings of the body.
- The film was followed by the sequel '' Dr. Phibes Rises Again '' in 1972 . Several other possible sequels were planned including ''Dr. Phibes in the Holy Land'', ''The Brides of Phibe'' and ''The Seven Fates of Dr. Phibes''. Unfortunately none were ever made.
- The film opens with ''War March of the Priests'' ( Mendelssohn ) flamboyantly played by Dr. Phibes on a grand organ.
- The succession of murders is accompanied by period music including ''Charmaine'', ''Darktown Strutters Ball'' (sung by Paul Frees ), '' You Stepped Out Of A Dream '', '' Close Your Eyes '' and ''Elmer's Tune''.
- The film also features a version of the Frank Sinatra hit ''One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)'' (sung by Scott Peters )
- The poster Dr. Versalius finds for a past concert of Dr. Phibes lists all pieces of music related to religion, a reflection of Dr. Phibes obsession with music and religion.
- ''Over the Rainbow'' appropriately closes the film over the end credits.
- (In a pun on the tagline for the movie '' Love Story )'' ''Love Means Never Having to Say You're Ugly.''
- ''Revenge Is The Best Medicine.''
- The name of an English band, Dr Phibes & The House Of Wax Equations was inspired by two of Vincent Price's most famous films.
- Punk band The Misfits have a song entitled "Dr. Phibes Rises Again", based around the movie. They also have an instrumental called "Abominable Dr. Phibes".
- Chicago Psychobilly band The Massacres have a song entitled "Dr. Phibes" on their album Season of the Scarecrow.
- The film also inspired the name of a hard rock band in south Brazil, called " Doutor Phibes ".
- The film is cited by Alan Moore as an influence on his comic book series '' V For Vendetta ''. {Link without Title}
- The Glam Metal / Horror Punk band Murderdolls have a song entitled "Dead in Hollywood", which is about classic horror icons. The song includes the line "Now Vincent Price was Dr. Phibes".
- The Horror Metal band Wednesday 13 have a song entitled "The Ghost of Vincent Price"
- In '' Employee Of The Month '' (2004), Steve Zahn's character calls it "the scariest film of all time".
- Las Vegas Punk band The Vermin mentions "I'll scare you just like Vincents Phibes" in the song Girl Bomb, Also named after Price's "Dr. Goldfoot and the Girlbomb"
- Artist A. V. Phibes takes her name from the main characters in the film
- Peter Cushing was considered for the part of Vesalius. His wife's illness at the time prevented him from playing the part.
- The actor who plays Dr. Vesalius' son Sean Bury is dubbed.
- ''The Who'' drummer Keith Moon was a huge fan of this film, and watched it at home on the night he died''.
- After the murder of Dr. Longstreet Dr. Phibes looks toward the camera with disdain after noticing a tacky painting hanging above the mantel in Longstreet's house. This was an obvious in joke by Vincent Price who was an avid collector of fine art.
- The movie's list of plagues differs somewhat from the traditional list of Biblical plagues.
- The movie refers to the plagues as the "G'tach"; this may be a similarly altered reference to the Mnemonic Acronym s for the plagues, as recited during the Passover Seder ; D'tzach Adash B'achav .
- The main villain of the Shaggy And Scooby Doo Get A Clue! animated television series is named Dr. Phinius Phibes after Dr. Phibes.
- Although drained of blood in this film, actor Terry Thomas (Dr.Longstreet) reappeared in the 1972 sequel, Dr.Phibes Rises Again!
This movie was released on DVD for the first time, on
February 20 ,
2001 in North America. The
2005 DVD re-release is currently available as of October 2006.
